Posted on January 15, 2013 at 1:12pm

The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is thrilled to announce the 2013 East Coast Music Award nominees. Wintersleep leads the
pack with six nominations. Matt Mays trails closely with five, followed by Rose Cousins, Radio Radio, Rich Aucoin and Tim Chaisson with
four nominations each. The 2013 East Coast Music Award nominees are:

Aboriginal Recording of the Year / Enregistrement autochtone de l’année

Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year / Enregistrement de l’année – Folklore / traditionnel – Groupe

Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac - Seinn
The Barra MacNeils - The Barra MacNeils live with Symphony Nova Scotia
The Dardanelles - The Eastern Light
The Once - Row Upon Row of the People They Know
Vishtèn - Mōsaïk

"Today’s announcements clearly demonstrate the incredible talent in this region,” says Heather Gibson, Chair of the ECMA Board. "We are
proud to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our Atlantic Canadian artists and look forward to recognizing them in March during
Eastlink East Coast Music Week."

Eastlink East Coast Music Week and the Chronicle Herald East Coast Music Awards Gala

Eastlink has been announced as the title sponsor for East Coast Music Week. This means Eastlink customers can enjoy coverage of the
week-long, Atlantic Canadian music showcase, live in HD, OnDemand and on Eastlink’s new TV anywhere platform, Eastlink To Go,
including:

· national coverage of the Gala Awards Show and the Red Carpet event;
· Atlantic Canadian coverage of daily shows, produced live from Eastlink’s Spring Garden Road retail store, showcasing interviews with
musicians, highlights from the week-long events and local concerts, and a sneak peek behind the scenes;
· daily, local schedule of events on Eastlink TV; and
· a 13-part series showcasing the ECMAs, televised throughout the year.

“Eastlink is excited and honoured to partner with Atlantic Canada’s iconic music event, East Coast Music Week,” says Jeff Brown,
Eastlink's Regional Manager. “This partnership is a natural fit; we share the same passion and commitment towards supporting and
showcasing local talent.”

Eastlink will present the Chronicle Herald East Coast Music Awards Gala on Sunday, March 10 at the Cunard Centre. Natalie
MacMaster is the initial performer confirmed for the event. Tickets are $50.00 plus service charges and available via the ECMA website
(http://www.ecma.com).

"It is thrilling for the ECMA to be working with Eastlink and the Chronicle Herald on our 25th Anniversary event," said Scott Burke, ECMA
Executive Director. "We promise a week filled with incredible music and excitement, and for it to roll out once again on a national broadcast
is a testament to the importance of East Coast music."

East Coast Music Week's A Sound Celebration with Symphony Nova Scotia

ECMW is proud to present A Sound Celebration with Symphony Nova Scotia which takes place on Saturday, March 9 at the Rebecca
Cohn Auditorum. The evening will feature solo and collaborative performances by Symphony Nova Scotia under music director Bernhard
Gueller and resident conductor Jonathan Govias with special guests Rita MacNeil, Lennie Gallant, Cindy Cain, Radio Radio and Ennis.
"ECMA’s collaboration with Symphony Nova Scotia – one of Canada’s premier professional orchestras – truly fulfills ECMA’s priority to
develop and forge innovative and long term cultural partnerships that contribute to our members and our industry," says Heather Gibson,
Chair of the Board.

RBC Breakout Stage and The Rising Star Showcase

The RBC Breakout Stage takes place at the Waterfront Warehouse on Thursday, March 7. The stage showcases the talent of new
musicians such as Bad Habits, Caroline Savoie, Colour Code, Hear/Say, Heather Green, Jennah Barry, Shaun Leblanc, Ten Strings
and A Goat Skin, The Benoits, The Lonesome Line, The Secrets, and Willie Stratton.

The artists selected to participate are also offered an additional showcasing spot at ECMW, access to the Industry Conference, a mentorship
program, and development sessions.

The Rising Star Showcase takes place at Casino Nova Scotia's Schooner Room on Friday, March 8. It grants acts the opportunity to
perform for a target audience of influential industry members, including label representatives, talent buyers, managers, media, and the
general public. The 2013 Rising Star Showcase includes performances from Acres & Acres, Coyote, Dylan Guthro, Les Hay Babies, Lisa
LeBlanc, Long Distance Runners, North Lakes, Pilot to Bombardier, and Sprag Session.

East Coast Music Week’s 2013 Industry Conference

East Coast Music Week’s 2013 Industry Conference, celebrating ‘25 Years Pure – Our Music Means Business,’ has much to offer every
member of the music industry. It brings together some of the industry’s best minds, as they lead four days of seminars, workshops,
showcases, and business meetings.

Including a star studded line-up of national and international panelists and guest speakers, the 2013 Conference will feature a diverse range
of professional development sessions. It includes the newly launched, Music & Image: Music Supervision Mentorship Program, a digital
spotlight feature by TOPSPIN and the 25th Anniversary Keynote Address presented by music industry icon and Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame inductee Seymour Stein. Stein is the President of Sire Records and is also Vice President of Warner Bros. Records. He is credited for
bringing the Ramones, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Madonna, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, and Echo and the Bunnymen into the
mainstream and on to the world stage.

Celebrating its 12th edition, the ECMA Export Buyers Program activities will feature the hugely popular Canadian Music East Coast Style
Export Buyers Showcases, ‘Two for the Show’ - Live Performance Pitch Sessions, and an interactive Francophone Symposium forum.
The program also includes a wide variety of interactive Export Business Development sessions, pre-scheduled one-on-one business
meetings, engaging interactive sessions with some of the leading experts from the United States, UK, Australia, France and the Netherlands
and a featured ‘Canadian Summit’ spotlight, welcoming the largest delegation in the program's history.

Now in its ninth year, the ECMA and Atlantic Film Festival joint initiative, Music & Image, brings together music buyers and supervisors
from the film and television industry to explore opportunities for today's musician in the new global marketplace. The newly launched, Music
& Image: Music Supervision Mentorship Program, is designed to help prepare industry professionals and companies with the insight to
expand their career and business opportunities in the world of film, television and music supervision. Featured conference topics
include Video and Content Production – How To Make The Most of Your Digital Presence and a unique platform Music Supervision
Rapid Fire where four top music supervisors pitch their current projects to artists, managers, labels and companies seeking to create new
business opportunities in film and television.

Schedule highlights also include the ‘Break Out’ Members Mentorship Program session, the Music Manager Forum
Roundtable, Deconstructing Radio – Finding Your Place on The Dial, a featured Band Case Study, presenting the FACTOR Makeover,
an engaging Indie Town Hall, and back by popular demand, the East Coast Music Week ‘Dial In’ Mixer.

The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a regional collaboration of people in the music industry of Atlantic Canada that fosters,
develops and celebrates East Coast Music and its artists locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The ECMA annually produces one
of the top music industry events in Canada, East Coast Music Week, which includes awards, a festival, industry conference and the
International Export Buyers Program. The ECMA's 25th Anniversary event takes place in Halifax, March 6-10, 2013. ECMA and its programs
are generously funded by the Government of Canada through the International Business Development Agreement (represented by Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and Industry Canada), the Department of Canadian Heritage
(Canada Music Fund), the four provincial governments in Atlantic Canada, MUSICACTION, FACTOR and Canada’s private radio
broadcasters. ECMA recognizes the support from the Nova Scotia Departments of Tourism, Communities, Culture, and Heritage and Labour
and Advanced Education, and the Halifax Regional Municipality. Major corporate sponsors of Eastlink East Coast Music Week 2013 include
Eastlink, the Chronicle Herald, CBC, NewCap Radio, Molson Canadian, Sennheiser Canada and Chester + Company.